Former Police Officer Wanted in Illinois Arrested in Branson

Scott Webb Accused of Stealing From Police Charity in Woodridge, IL

October 20, 2011|by Joe Daues KSPR News

A former police officer from Illinois is in custody in the Ozarks accused of theft.Branson police arrested Scott Webb following a routine traffic stop. The former Illinois officer is charged with stealing more than $30,000 from a police charity.

Woodridge, IL police union members worked to raise money for fallen officers families by organizing an annual pub crawl. Webb was one of the pub crawl's organizers. It was a huge success, according to the president of Concerns of Police Survivors, or C.O.P.S., which benefited from the fundraisers.

They donated an average of more than $15,000 a year, until the last two years when they received no check. That's because, according to a DuPage County Grand Jury indictment, Webb stole the money.

C.O.P.S. President Craig Figgins lost his brother Dan, who was a 27-year veteran officer, six years ago. Now his organization helps families of other fallen officers, and the money that would have been donated by the Woodridge officers would have been a substantial portion of their budget.

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"My brother served for 27 years, and that's a brotherhood. It's sad to think that someone would do that. We could have done a lot with $30,000," Figgins said.

Woodridge police placed Webb on administrative leave last August when they first became aware of the allegations. Webb resigned from the department in March.

The mayor and police chief of Woodridge issued a joint statement Friday night saying: "It is indeed a sad day when any member of the law enforcement community is charged with crimes against organizations that aim to provide aid and comfort to families of heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. We are disappointed that families of fallen officers, and our community, have been victimized by alleged wrongdoing."

"There is some anger but we'll survive. We're survivors as is," Figgins said

Webb is a 10-year veteran of a suburban Chicago police department. He quit while under investigation.Police have been searching for him since he was charged in late May.